«Dear Student, «Have we met in person? I believe we have corresponded, and I am sure you are eminently well qualified for X. However, I have never served as a reference for someone I did not know directly and had not actually worked with. Someone who gives you a reference should be able to say … More An e-mail
This just in: «Remember [Tropical Town] when we realized we were in a hotel on top of the movie theater? when the drunk guy who passed out in the restaurant turned out to be the owner?» These are the words of the friend with whom I travelled through [Tropical State] when young. We were both … More Incredibly serious advice to new faculty.
The bibliographic instruction and the students laugh at me because I take them for bibliographic instruction every semester. He is sure he has nothing more to teach them, and they, that they do not need this show one more time. The search interfaces and databases are increasingly complex, however, and I learn something new every … More Modern
9-6 in the office, with an hour out for lunch and another for gossip and paperwork, means I spent 7 hours preparing 4 hours of class, and I have about another hour to go on that. That means spending 2 hours outside class for every hour in it, and that is happening because it is … More Tiempo tiempo. Mediodía estancado entre relentes.
So today I spent 12 hours at this screen, working on arranging my trip to Mexico and that of the undocumented one, and on syllabi and course websites. The planning of the voyage of the undocumented one took the most ingenuity. I am not sure how much time went into each thing but I got … More Jorge Brauet
What I did today: 9-12 office, work on syllabus 12-3 lunch, small errands, gym 3-6 large errands 6-8 office, finish syllabus 8-10 dinner, clean kitchen Nothing else is planned for today. Tuesday I did about six hours of service, and Wednesday I did two hours of research. Thursday I worked on another syllabus, for about … More Things take time
Note to readers: please remember the asynchronous and melded nature of all my posts. No positions are currently open in my current department. If the job I have to offer is so good that well qualified candidates should be beating upon my door to get it, then why are they not doing so? Especially since … More Take Two
The Faculty Club once had white linen but now has napkins in the school colors. Their gumbo remains good and fueled by it, I went over to the library for a designated afternoon of reading little magazines so I could decide where to send my rejected stories. My stories are in poetic prose and my … More In which I am foiled, again.
…also involved is the question of being mugged by the victims, or by those who would become victims. Being pushed and pummelled by people who were feeling weak and who were not making good decisions, but whose continued good will I really needed, is of course my oldest story. At work one can add to … More More notes on being mugged
I congratulate today, especially: a) all Pell grant recipients and others who graduated despite very difficult circumstances; b) all current and former members of the armed forces of the United States, despite my disagreement with their mission; c) anyone who has had to work offshore or at other forms of rough oilfield work, either before … More Upon graduation
coldhearted scientist وداد 